1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to projectiles, and more particularly, to missiles and other projectiles, which have deployable blades to increase its footprint and/or decrease its momentum.
2. Prior Art
Numerous systems have been developed or are under development for protection against various threats such as missiles or projectiles. In certain systems, particularly if weight is not a major problem, a properly designed passive or active armor may provide adequate protection. In other systems, an incoming missile may be defeated by a super-high rate of small to medium caliber fire in either a pure kinetic mode or with the assistance of high explosives. Guided missiles of various kinds have also been developed for such purposes. A number of smart or guided projectiles are also under development for such applications. Many of such protection systems are or planned to be used in combination.
A review of the existing protective systems clearly indicate the lack of any effective measures against weapons such as shoulder fired RPG type of weapons, particularly those fired at very close range, such as from a 50 meter radius. No such weapons have been planned nor are under development. The development of such protection systems is essential for all lightly armored vehicles such as FCS, particularly for those that are to be used in missions within urban environments. Such protection system may also be used on helicopters and other mobile platforms, on fixed command posts and/or various facilities.